fandomtownies | The Perk, Wednesday Afternoon

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The Perk, Wednesday Afternoon

Having ~~handwavily~~ made plans to meet Abby for lunch, Aziraphale walked over from the clinic to the Perk and found a quiet table near the window. He hadn't had the chance to talk with Abby for quite some time, and he found he was really looking forward to it.

There was a cup of tea at hand, of course, while he waited, and Aziraphale busied himself with making notations on some kind of list. It had a lot of things scribbled through, and seemed to be giving him a great deal of trouble.

[ooc: The Perk is open for all your afternoon Perk-y needs. Thread with Phale and Abby is closed to them, please.]

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Abby had made a stop to the convenience store in town and was struggling to get into the door with several bags of snacks. "Little help, please?"

Quickly Aziraphale jumped up and hurried to Abby's side. The door held itself open after a wave of his hand, and he took the bags from her arms.

"Good heavens, my dear! You've been busy, I see."

"Thanks!" Abby grinned up at Phale and followed him back to the table. "I needed a way to make up flaking out on last weeks class and since I can't bake I cleared out Kwik Stop of all the snack food I could find."

With a chuckle, Aziraphale set the bags on the table and pulled out a chair for Abby. "Well, that's very kind of you. I'm sure the students will all appreciate it. Would you like a sandwich or a pastry?"

He gestured toward the counter, obviously intending to go and get Abby's order for her.

"Both?" Abby gave Phale her best puppy dog eyes and pointed to two items on the board. "All that shopping made me hungry."

"Of course, my dear," Aziraphale replied brightly, heading up to the counter. He returned in short order with sandwiches and pastries, then took his seat again.

"How have you been?" he asked. "I don't think I've seen you since that day I helped your class."

Abby took a large bite of a ham and cheese sandwich and gave Phale a thumbs up. "I'm good. Doing a lot of work for NCIS so I've been glued to the apartment when I'm not in class."

She leaned over the table to thwap Aziraphale on the shoulder, a twinkle in her eye. "You don't see me anymore because you two moved away. Meanies."

Raising his eyebrows at the thwap, Aziraphale shook his head and laughed. "You have a point. Although we didn't go very far, you know. Once this weather settles down, though, I know James has been wanting to have some kind of cookout. He's been doing all sorts of things to the garden, and it really looks lovely."

That seemed to give Aziraphale an idea, and he paused to write something on the list next to him, then he picked up his tea.

"You only think it's mean because you don't get care packages of James's cooking anymore," he teased.

"Well there's that and the fact that I don't get to live vicariously through your sex lives anymore." Abby teased back. "A cookout sounds great, although it will have to warm up a lot more before you'll get me outside."

She peeked at the list and raised an eyebrow. "Whatcha writing?"

"You...through our...but..."

Aziraphale blushed. A lot. Had he forgotten to sound proof part of the apartment? The thought made him a cough a little on his tea, but he smiled gratefully at Abby's question. It was at least a distraction from talking about his sex life. Which sort of seemed to be a theme of his conversations this week.

"Oh, it's a list of ideas for James's birthday. It's next week, and I want to really do something special for him. I suppose I need to go do some shopping, but I just...I'm not really sure yet what I want to do."

Abby giggled at the blushing and stammering. She had missed this almost as much as the food care packages.

"Ooh, I'm great and coming up with birthday ideas!" Abby grinned. "Do you want help?"

Oh yes, please!" Aziraphale exclaimed, still blushing a little but definitely smiling now. He turned the list so Abby could see it -- and see that most if the things he'd written down were crossed through.

"It's just...well, I'd like to get him something really special, and I want to do something nice for him. James is always so shy about his birthdays, and I just...want to do something to remind him how glad I am that he's here. Celebrating them with me."

"Awww." Abby sighed as she looked over the list. "I just want to squish the stuffing out of both of you all the time. So cute!"

Thinking for a minute, Abby looked up at Phale. "Well, you don't want to copy last years celebration. What'd you do for that?"

"Well, actually I was on a rather unusual assignment at the time, and so I wasn't able to actually be there with James for last year's birthday," Aziraphale murmured, turning pink again. "I, er...well, I called him on the phone, and...talked."

Oh look, tea!

"Okay. Phone sex is out for an option for this year." Abby nodded sagely.

Aziraphale decided he was just going to have done with it and declare this "talk about the angel's sex life week". He had a vague sense that Metatron was somewhere, laughing at him.

"Quite. So, er...I was thinking I might get him some flowers? He likes flowers. And also...well that's just it, you see. I don't really know what one gets a person for their birthday. Is there something traditional? Should I get him clothes, or jewelry, or books, or..." He flailed a little at Abby.

"Flowers are nice." Abby hedged. "But maybe instead of thinking of gifts you can try and do something for him."

"That's actually not dirty this time."

Resisting the urge to facepalm, Aziraphale nodded. "Do something for him. I think he'd like that. I was going to make him a cake, of course. But...that's not really very much. So, what sort of, er...not-dirty thing could I do for him?"

Abby took a slow slurp from her Caf-Pow cup and winked. "Are you sure you don't want talk about the dirty stuff?"

"Just kidding. You could take him out somewhere fun. A special movie or restaurant or club."

"He likes to dance," Aziraphale mused. "But of course, you already know that," he added teasingly. "I suppose I could take him out for dinner and dancing. Maybe even out to the mainland, someplace really new. Someplace he's never been..."

He smiled brightly at Abby. "That's a very good idea, my dear. Thank you! Now if I can just find a place without letting on to James that I'm looking."

Abby leaned back in her chair and fanned herself. "You don't need to remind me, it's still one of my favorite memories."

"Oh! I know a ton of great little places in and around D.C.." She dug in one of the Kwik Stop bags and pulled out her laptop, untangling a beef stick from the cord. "Aziraphale, welcome to 21st century. Home of Onstar, American Idol and Google. You can easily search for restaurants, make reservations and get directions without ever speaking outloud. It's like magic."

Aziraphale laughed. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

He watched Abby set up her laptop, looking a little hesitant.

"Erm. Yes, well...unfortunately, the last time I tried to do something like that on the Internet Webs, I wound up sending a bunch of students to the wrong museum. Very much the wrong museum."

"I'm so sad that I missed that field trip." Abby giggled. "But no worries this time. You're with a pro."

"Well, all right, my dear," Aziraphale replied with a soft chuckle. "I do trust that you know what you're doing. Perhaps I just need a bit of help from an expert. The only thing I really ever learned to use these for was doing my taxes, so I suppose it's time that I branched out."

He shifted his chair around and peered over Abby's shoulder. "Can you find me something really nice -- for dinner, I mean. Maybe someplace with seafood? James is a vegetarian, but he eats fish and such."

"No steakhouses for you two." Abby said, clicking away. "Probably not a fish fry/adult movie house either. Too greasy."

Maybe not for a birthday celebration anyway. But Aziraphale had to admit -- although not out loud, omg! -- that the fish fry/adult movie house did sound intriguing.

"Well, if it were just for me, I would insist on a sushi place. But it's for James, so maybe a really posh seafood place, or something continental? I wonder if perhaps I ought to rent a limousine instead of making him drive..."

Abby might have just bookmarked the site for that place. Just in case.

"Limo!" Abby squeed. "So romantic! What about some of these?"

She pushed the laptop towards him with several nice ~~and totally moddable~~ posh fish restaurants.

Leaning over Abby's shoulder, Aziraphale picked out a couple of ~~handwavy~~ places from the list and had her access more information on them.

"Oh, I think those look nice, my dear. I definitely James would be pleased, and I can call while he's at work and make the reservations." He grinned at her reaction to the limo idea. "I take it a limousine would be a good idea. Can you find me someplace to take him dancing afterwards?"

"Depends on what sort of dancing you're looking for." Abby said. "We've got everything like swing dancing, square dancing, hip-hop, Latin, ballroom and disco."

"Ballroom seems the most romantic to me, but then I'm also partial to country line dancing."

[reposted because this sounds better]

"I don't really know any of the modern dances, but James and I both like ballroom and swing dancing," Aziraphale replied thoughtfully. "I don't think I've ever even seen country line dancing. Is it anything like the quadrille?"

After a brief pause, he quickly added, "Oh, James very much likes salsa dancing too!"

"I'm not sure what the quadrille is." Abby grinned. "Salsa dancing is very hot. Gets the blood pumping and all the sweating and rubbing. I'm sure Wilson will love that for his birthday."

She typed a little more and nodded. "There's a couple of choices." She pointed out a couple of dance club options.

"It's, er...a little before your time," Aziraphale admitted with a chuckle, as he looked at the computer screen. "I do think you're right, though. This is for his birthday, after all. So it should be something fun."

He pointed at one of the clubs. "That one, I think. Oh, I'd better right it down."

Pulling the sheet of paper toward him, he made a couple of notes about the restaurant and club.

"Yay!" Abby clapped happily. "This is so much fun! Should I look up dirty movie places so you can pick up some entertainment for the birthday celebration at home?"

Oh look, there was that blushing again.

"I, er..." He blinked, repeatedly, and then said very quietly, "I don't think I've ever seen that kind of movie before. Do you...I mean, do you think he would like that?"

That noise would be Abby snorting Caf-Pow through her nose.

Flailing a little, Aziraphale grabbed some napkins and held them toward Abby, putting his hand on her back.

"Good heavens! Are you all right?!" he asked in a frightened voice. "Do I need to take you to the clinic?"

The idea of Phale rushing her to the clinic and telling Dr. Wilson that she snorted Caf-Pow through her nose at the idea of buying porn for his birthday caused Abby to laugh even harder. Putting her head down on the table she tried to get herself under control.

"Hee...m'fine..." She gasped finally. "No problem."

It took Aziraphale a moment to figure out that Abby was laughing and not suffering from some horrible medical ailment. But when he did, he began to laugh softly himself.

"Perhaps...that's something I should just discuss with James," he suggested, patting her arm until she got herself under control.

"Perhaps." Abby giggled. "But I was mostly kidding. I've seen how he looks at you and I'm pretty sure he doesn't need any movies."

That made Aziraphale blush again, but it made him smile too. Still chuckling, he nodded and folded up his list, slipping it inside his jacket.

"It's been wonderful of you to help me with this, my dear. I know it seems silly, I suppose if I just stopped dithering and put my head into it, I could figure it all out on my own. But I just...wanted it to special."

On impulse, he kissed Abby's cheek, then picked up his teacup to hide his embarrassment.

"I'm sure you could do it by yourself, but I'm glad I got the chance to help." Abby grinned at the kiss and decided that that warranted a hug.

Aziraphale had to admit that he missed his Abby-hugs, and he happily hugged her back.

"Well, I'm sure it will go much more smoothly now that I've had your help, my dear," he replied. "And you need to come and visit us sometime. James would be so pleased."

"I need to come over, I'm practically wasting away here." Abby good-naturedly grumbled around another bite of sandwich.

"I promise, we'll start sending you care packages again. And you can drop in and join us any time you like, you know."

Aziraphale felt guilty about having neglected Abby in that regard -- he took his mother-henning duties rather seriously -- and made a mental note to have Wilson make up extra the next time he cooked a big meal for the two of them.

"Yay food!" Abby gave a very happy bounce and looked at her watch. "I better get up to the school. I'll see you later and give Wilson a big ol smoochy kiss for me!"

"Good luck with your class, my dear," Aziraphale replied with a bright smile. "It's been really lovely talking with you. And I promise, I'll give James a big 'smoochy kiss' and tell him it's from you."

Abby laughed and waved, heading up to school with her bags.

[ooc: *sigh* Abby and Aziraphale just make me smile!]

Aziraphale waved back, chuckling to himself over his tea.

[ooc: *grins* Me too!]

Stanley decides to go see more of the town, and stop in at the coffee shop for some lunch.

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The Perk, Wednesday Afternoon

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